“Lado’s direction can’t be faulted. From the opening credit montage of city streets as seen from the cab of an ambulance to the way Lado frames virtually every scene, Short Night is the very definition of ‘eye candy.’”
– C.D. Workman, rockshockpop.com

“The horror elements in Aldo Lado’s giallo murder mystery are fiercely strong, not from an onslaught of blood and guts, but from the tensions of the situations…a clever cinematic exercise.”
– Buzz McClain, allmovie.com

Short Night of Glass Dolls (La Corta Notte delle Bambole di Vetro, 1971) is a mystery-heavy giallo film, the début of director Aldo Lado. It stars Jean Sorel as an American reporter, trapped inside his apparently dead body, but still trying to decipher the disappearance of his beautiful girlfriend (Barbara Bach). Set in a Prague depicted as remarkably depraved, the film also stars the great Ingrid Thulin, and is highlighted by a stunning score from the one and only Ennio Morricone, available on this Twilight Time release as an isolated track.

I’ve become a fan of the giallo films in recent years. I’d seen some in the past but with many being released for the first time on blu-ray I’ve been able to catch many that I’d missed. The thing is I’ve truly enjoyed seeing these films and look forward to seeing more as they are released. Which brings us to SHORT NIGHT OF GLASS DOLLS.

The movie is told from the perspective of reporter Gregory Moore (Jean Sorel) who is thought dead and laying in the morgue due for an autopsy. He can hear his thoughts in his own mind but can’t move or communicate with those around him. As he awaits his fate he reflects back on what led him to this predicament.

Moore was writing about political affairs in Czechoslovakia. He became enamored with a young woman named Mira (Barbara Bach) and promised to take her with him on his next assignment. Called out to meet and informer who never shows Moore returns to find Mira gone and missing. With the police assuming she just ran off he must search for her on his own.

Using his reporting skills he soon discovers a number of young women who’ve gone missing in recent years. He continues his search with the help of his ex-lover and editor Jessica (Ingrid Thulin). As he delves deeper he finds connections to Klub 99 where he had taken Mira earlier on the night she went missing. He soon learns that the members of the club are a secret sect of Czechoslovakia's old guard who thrive on destroying the idealistic young people of that country. Before he can take this information to the police he is drugged which is where we now find him. Can he escape?

The movie is often hailed for the political motivations seen on screen but for myself I found it difficult to understand all of those. Much of what they were talking about was foreign to me and I’m not just talking about the film. I wasn’t aware of much of the political turmoil in that country at the time and it made it just a bit confusing. Interesting but confusing. I found out more in looking into the film after watching it than I gained while watching.

In the end it was entertaining enough but not a film I would truly call a giallo in spite of the fact that it has been marketed as such. Perhaps that’s just my misunderstanding of the genre but I don’t think so. Gone are the black gloves, the sharp knives and the masked killer. Still on hand are a few red herrings to distract you. On the whole though I’d have to say I was disappointed in this one. But many have praised it so my guess is it depends on your life and viewing experiences.

Twilight Time is releasing this like always in just 3,000 copies. The film was released earlier but Twilight Time always does an amazing job with their transfers making this one a movie to add to your collections if you love the genre. Their edition includes extras like an isolated music track (the score was written by Ennio Morricone), an audio commentary track with film historians David Del Valle and Matteo Molinari and the original English and Italian theatrical trailers.